Popcorn is often mass-produced for sale at movies and other events in commercial popcorn poppers which generally include an enclosed, transparent cabinet containing a tiltable kettle suspended above a catch area or platform. The kettle is heated and uncooked popcorn kernels are placed therein to be cooked and popped. Oil, salt and other flavorings might also be added to the kettle for flavoring the popcorn in the popping process. Once the kernels are popped, the kettle is tilted, either manually or automatically, and the popcorn spills onto the platform to be scooped up, packaged and sold to customers.
In these types of large commercial popcorn poppers, the oil is typically contained in a large pail or in a bag that is contained in a cardboard box (“bag-in-a-box”). A pump is connected to the oil container through suitable tubing so that the oil is delivered from the container, through the pump, and to the kettle mounted within the popcorn popper cabinet. When coconut oil is used, the oil within the container and the oil delivery tubing must be heated so that the oil is liquefied throughout the entire oil flow path from the container to the kettle. The pump is typically located in a lower portion of the popcorn popper, such as in a lower cabinet located beneath the upper popcorn popper cabinet, so that the oil delivery tubing must be routed through the lower and upper cabinets to an oil delivery outlet of the tubing located above the kettle. The delivery of oil may be controlled or automated through the use of a controller incorporated into the popcorn popper so that a controlled amount of oil is delivered to the kettle at the proper time prior to a cooking cycle.
In smaller commercial popcorn popping environments where high popcorn popping capacity is not required, and more recently as home movie theaters have gained in popularity, popcorn poppers have been developed that have smaller kettles, such as 4 oz., 8 oz., 12 oz., 14 oz. and 16 oz. sizes. Typically, with these smaller popcorn poppers, oil is provided in a pouch that is opened for pouring the oil into the kettle before the corn and flavorings or seasonings, such as salt, are introduced. These pouches are typically sized so as to be dedicated to a single batch of corn for use in a popping cycle so many pouches may need to be purchased, i.e., in a case, and properly stored. Alternatively, the oil may be provided in a bar form, similar to bars of butter, that may be split, depending on the kettle size, and introduced into the kettle.
Whether pouches or bars of oil are used, there is always a need for an operator to be cautious when adding oil to a preheated kettle. Moreover, the operator must be certain to add the proper amount of oil to the kettle before the corn and seasonings are introduced. Otherwise, the corn will burn and the batch of unpopped corn must be discarded as waste. If the oil is added to the kettle before the corn and seasonings are introduced, but either too little or too much oil is added, the corn may pop but the resulting batch of popped popcorn may not have an appealing taste and may also need to be discarded.
Therefore, there is a need for a smaller sized popcorn popping machine that simplifies the task of adding oil to a preheated kettle. There is also a need for a smaller sized popcorn popping machine that minimizes the risk of either adding oil to the kettle at the wrong time in the cooking cycle or adding the wrong amount of oil for the corn batch size to be cooked.